“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

Then again—

“There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness and death.”
― Fran Lebowitz

Be that as it may, the spot photographed is as near to external peace on my little island. Note how it’s suddenly ‘my’ island now that I’m living here! For those new to this blog, I’m talking about the Isle of Wight. Mind you, I probably said the same when I was still in Crete.

Solitude Galaxy S6 Case for Sale by Sarah Vernon. Protect your Galaxy S6 with an impact-resistant, slim-profile, hard-shell case. The image is printed directly onto the case and wrapped around the edges for a beautiful presentation. Simply snap the case onto your Galaxy S6 for instant protection and direct access to all of the phone’s features!

I created Solitude while I was still in Crete. Although I wasn’t thinking so at the time, you could say it symbolises my yearning for peace and solitude, as well as freedom from fear and anxiety, all of which I know that my cottage on the Isle of Wight will provide, even though it doesn’t look like the photograph by Antony Delanoix (Unsplash). As you can see below, it’s quite bland and thus a perfect starting point for my playing. I couldn’t find any details but I imagine it’s Greece or Turkey or some Mediterranean country.

What could be more restorative when I’ve been feeling rather peevish this week than to learn that I’ve sold 50 greeting cards of this detail of Raphael’s Sistine Madonna! Well, it sure bucked my spirits up considerably.

And I’ve just created my first Christmas stocking with the same image.

One can get very sick of sunsets. At least, I can. It’s rare for me to find a sunset photograph exceptional. I find Silhouette Sunset exceptional and I can say that with impunity because it was captured by Mr FND and not me! He took it from a beach on the Akrotiri Peninsular in Crete, near to where we live. Looking at makes me exceedingly peaceful.

I couldn’t have expressed it better myself! May Juli’s words bring you comfort and joy.

In case I’m unable to bring you anything more until after Christmas, I send you many blessings for sticking with me through thick and thin while I have been largely unable to give you equal support. Your love has brought me comfort and joy in no uncertain measure and I will always be grateful.

Have a splendid Christmas and New Year and remember to take care and keep laughing!

Once I knew my logo submission for Artists 4 Peace had not been chosen, I realised I was free to sell it on prints and greeting cards, and spread the word about this excellent venture founded by Gigi and Melanie. The dove is from The Graphics Fairy.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.”
― John Lennon

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
― William Wilberforce

Two enterprising women, Melanie and Gigi, have created an excellent initiative, Artists 4 Peace. ‘Artists using intelligence and creativity to foster and spread peace and love throughout the world. We can work TOGETHER to bring about change!’

Everyone is welcome to take part, ‘whether your medium is paint, poetry, yarn, music or pottery YOU can be part of the movement’. Simply publish a blog post with relevant content and email the link to:

UPDATE 16-07-14: The paragraph below no longer obtains. The site was getting so many hits and so much exposure that they decided a logo needed to be in place as soon as possible and they chose ahead of time.

[At the moment Artists 4 Peace is welcoming submissions for a logo — yes, that’s my submission above! Email your design by 20 July and there will be a vote to decide the winning logo.]

We live in a world that sorely needs a sea-change. We seem to have gone backwards not forwards and the state of the planet, in every way imaginable, is in desperate straits. Not until the human race stops fighting can we be said to have even begun to grow up.

Under Full Sail II is an adaptation of Dutch and English Warships in Battle by the Dutch painter Aart van Antum (1580-1620) in which I have used several textures to produce the effect of a fresco. My intention was to create a new version of the original, one that suggests peace and beauty and not war and savagery.

I’m a dreadful sailor, not because of seasickness, rather that LcSSc means I can lounge and enjoy but do nothing practical! I love everything about sailing: the sounds, the smells, the feeling of freedom. There is nothing more delightful to me than draping myself on deck in the sun and listening to the wind or lying down below and being lulled to sleep by the tink-tinkety-rattle of the rigging.

The men in my family have been and are avid sailors. My father was in the Royal Navy towards the end of WWII though he saw no action. Although a successful actor, sailing was his real passion. In fact, I suspect he would rather have spent his entire life sailing.

Oh, yes, and the reason I started this post is because Under Full Sail II has just been featured in the group A Love of Boats on RedBubble!